Across The Wire
by plazmah
Summary: CSI & Bones crossover. Grissom decides to give an old colleague at the Jeffersonian a call, looking for answers and helpful advice.


Title: Across The Wire  
Author: smithar  
Rating: G  
Fandom(s): CSI-Bones crossover  
Pairing(s): Grissom/Sara, maybe Brennan/Booth if you try hard enough  
Summary: Grissom decides to give a colleague a call, looking for answers and helpful advice.  
Notes: Spoilers for 7x09 (Living Legend) for CSI and 2x09 (Aliens In A Spaceship) of Bones. Unbetaed.

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"We could have used you on our last case. Thirty year old decomp in a submerged vehicle, and the only way to figure out that our DB wasn't the mobster was to analyze the composition of the bones."

"From what I heard, you did a pretty good job without me." She sounded impressed, and he couldn't help but feel pleased with how the case had turned out.

Gil Grissom leaned back in his chair with a smile. "Let's get back to my original question, shall we? What do you think?"

"I'm hardly the right person to be answering this for you." The skepticism in her voice was clear, her voice without artifice or subtext. It was refreshing, he had to admit, to talk to someone who didn't lace their words with hidden meanings.

"On the contrary, you're an excellent person to ask for an opinion. No one else I know has the kind of perspective that you do. So, please? I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Her sigh crackled across the phone line, acquiescing. "If you think that a change in your workplace would be beneficial, then by all means take up their offer. But you have to take into consideration what would happen if you left, whether the ramifications would be worth it to all parties involved. I know what a valuable resource you are to your team. You wouldn't want to leave them unprepared for future cases."

"They're more than ready to function without me." Grissom replied, a hint of pride in his tone. "The question is whether I'd miss all of this or not. I've been in Vegas for a long time."

"Well, if you're going to play devil's advocate, why did you ask my opinion to begin with?" There was an irritated strain in her voice that Grissom had never heard before. And that was in addition to the fact that he had sensed her mannerisms changing over the past few months, over the rare phone conversations they had regarding a range of scientific topics, or even her novels.

He started to apologize, but she interrupted him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you work the grave shift there, but with the additional time difference, it's really late into the night for me. And today has been particularly stressful; I was kidnapped and buried alive in a car with only 24 hours to live."

Grissom straightened with surprise. "_What_? My god, that's terrible. Why didn't you say something from the beginning, Dr. Brennan? I would have quite willingly let you go if you had told me."

"No, it's alright. I'm fine now, just tired. And I enjoy our conversations. It takes my mind off of... other things." She paused. "Here's something you may want to consider with regards to leaving Vegas to teach: are there any _personal _reasons why you might not want to leave?"

Grissom chuckled. It was not a question he had ever expected to come out of the forensic anthropologist's mouth. "I can think of one reason, in particular." _Brown eyes, soft skin, and a cheeky smile._

"One person, I presume? A female?"

And to think that people considered _him _to be socially unaware. He supposed this was how the others felt when they had to spell things out for him. "Yes. I guess you could say there's a woman in my life that I have to consider."

"Hmm." She was thoughtful, clearly thinking about the entire matter. "Well, the final decision is yours, as always."

"What would you do if you were in my shoes, Dr. Brennan?"

She didn't even hesitate. "I'd stay. I love working here at the Jeffersonian, as well as the flexibility and freedom that I have. I doubt I could get that with a teaching position. Then there's also the matter of my team being such an essential part of why I enjoy my work."

Grissom nodded, realizing for once just how hard it would be if he did leave them all behind, not just Sara. His past with Catherine was a deep and layered with memories he could never forget. Warrick, who had once been his protégé, was now the most capable of CSIs. The same went for Nick, who was like a son to him. He had practically watched Greg grow up from a flighty young boy to a courageous and thoughtful young man. And then there was Sara, who he could think about for hours without getting bored, pondering over her passion and the trials she put herself through, or the quiet times they spent together.

"Dr. Grissom? Hello?" The voice brought him back to reality.

He shook his head. "I'm still here. You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She answered, covering up a tired yawn. "And for the record, even though I said I wouldn't leave my job, I may not have answered the same way at a different point in my life. I might agreed to take up a teaching position a year ago. But not now." She stopped, searching for the right words."Things have changed for me. I truly enjoy what I'm doing right now. And the... people I work with."

Grissom cocked his head to the side. Unless he was mistaken, there was some mysterious _subtext _to the words she had just spoken. Would wonders never cease? He was about to ask her to elaborate when she yawned again, prompting Grissom to end the call.

"I think it would be rude for me to keep you any longer, Dr. Brennan. Have a good-night."

"Good-night to you too, Dr. Grissom." The dial tone buzzed in his ear and he placed the phone back to the cradle on his desk. He stood up with a sigh, gathering papers and preparing to go home for the day. Or rather, not his own home, but to the home of someone who could give him a final answer to the question that was on his mind.

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End file.
